When I realized I could blend oats into flour and bake with it, I was so excited to create healthy gluten-free treats like these blackberry muffins! After multiple tests, I am happy to share how to take rolled oats and bake them into these delicious, healthy muffins with chunks of berry in every bite (no other flour needed)!
You can use fresh seasonal blackberries or frozen blackberries (with extra berries make this blackberry smoothie!). These muffins are easy and quick to make, perfect for breakfast or to pack along for a snack! Just like my hemp orange muffins with oat flour!
Love this recipe because:
- These muffins are healthy yet soo tasty, they are low in sugar (and can be made with honey), high in fiber, and have 5 grams of protein each!
- They are perfect for special dietary needs as they are gluten-free, and dairy-free and can be made with honey instead of cane sugar.
- It's a perfect way to enjoy seasonal fruit (blackberries), just like this recipe with seasonal rhubarb - rhubarb muffins, or another berry muffin like these healthy blueberry muffins.
- These fruity muffins are loved by all kids and toddlers, just like my orange muffins or banana whole wheat muffins.
- Using oat flour is an awesome alternative to get grains into your diet, change up the breakfast oatmeal, and make something gluten-free.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Oat flour: You can easily make your own (like me) by putting rolled oats into the blender and pulsing until fine flour. These muffins are just another way of having oatmeal!
- Blackberries: You can use fresh or frozen blackberries for this recipe! If you are using frozen blackberries, leave them in the freezer until you add them to the muffin batter. Alternatively, you can add other types of berries to suit your preference and what you have available. Look for dark, plump blackberries! When picking (either from the store or from the bush), choose ones that are dark black and purple rather than red.
- Apple sauce: This increases the moisture in the muffins and using this instead of perhaps yogurt or milk makes them dairy-free.
- Eggs: Eggs support the texture and the rise of the muffin.
- Oil: Oil supports the crumb and the texture of the muffins.
- Cane sugar: You can use cane sugar, white sugar, brown sugar, or honey to sweeten these muffins! I also tested these muffins with truvia sweetener, and that worked well!
- Vanilla: Oh this is the best flavour boost in these amazing muffins. Alternatively, you could use the almond extract to make a tasty flavour!
- Baking powder and sea salt: You will need baking powder (not baking soda) to make these muffins rise! Sea salt enhances the flavor.
Oat flour
Where do I get oat flour? You can buy it from grocery stores that sell more healthy items or in the baking aisle. Or buy oat flour online from organic matter, one of my go to stores! Or you can make your own!
How do I make oat flour? What kind of oats do I use? To make oat flour, place rolled oats, quick oats, or steel-cut oats into a good blender or food processor, and blend for 1-5 minutes until it resembles thin flour.
Can substitute oat flour 1:1 for all-purpose flour in muffins? No, it's best not to use oat flour instead of regular flour. It can be slightly tricky to get the right ratio as oat flour absorbs a lot of liquid, and if it sits too long before baking, it becomes crumbly. It is best to follow recipes that specifically call for oat flour if you would like to use more of it!
Is oat flour gluten-free? To ensure oat flour is gluten-free, use gluten-free oats. Oats do not contain gluten; however, they are often processed in a facility where they come in contact with gluten.
Step-by-step instructions for blackberry muffins
Follow the photos from my kitchen to make oat flour muffins. See the recipe card below for exact ingredient details.
Make oat flour: Place rolled oats in the blender and pulse until a thin sand-like texture forms.
Mix dry ingredients: In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients - oat flour, sea salt, and baking powder and combine well.
Mix wet ingredients: In another mixing bowl, place the applesauce, eggs, cane sugar, vanilla and oil. Whisk together until everything is mixed.
Fold batter together: Dump the flour mix and the blackberries into the egg mixture. Use a spatula to stir the batter together, about 12 folds, just until everything is incorporated. Do not over-stir.
Scoop & bake: Add about ⅓ cup of batter to fill each muffin cup. Put blackberries on top of each muffin as desired. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven (375 Fahrenheit (190 °C)) to bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove muffins from the oven when they spring back from the touch and when the center does not look gooey.
Danika's tips for the best muffins
Measuring Flour: The amount of oat flour can greatly impact the recipe. To get just the right amount, spoon the oat flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping it, as this compacts it. Or weigh to measure, you want 180 grams.
Don't let the batter sit: Make sure to put the muffins in the oven right away. If they sit too long on the counter, the moisture will absorb, and the muffins will become crumbly.
Frozen blackberries: If you are using frozen blackberries (instead of fresh) leave them in the freezer right until you add them to the mixing bowl.
Cut the blackberries: If you want more evenly distributed blackberries, you can cut the large berries in half before adding them.
Substitution and variations
Here are a few ways you can change this healthy recipe to make it suit your preferences!
- Use other berries: Instead of blackberries, try this recipe with blueberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries to make healthy oat flour fruit muffins!
- Chocolate chips: Add ½ cup of chocolate chips to have blackberry chocolate chip muffins!
- Mini toddler-friendly: Bake these muffins in a mini muffin tray to make every toddler squeal!
Danika's nutrition insight + protein boost
Since doing schooling in nutrition I love to add some nutritional insight to the recipes I create. Let's chat about these healthy berry muffins!
Key nutrients of blackberries are: fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.
These oat flour muffins are high in fibre from the oats, apple sauce, and blackberries. There are 5 grams per muffin of protein from the oats and eggs.
To make it more protein-dense: add ⅓ cup hemp hearts to the flour before mixing the muffins all together. Increasing the muffins to 8 grams of protein each. This will make the flavor a bit more nutty tasting.
Yes! These muffins are nutrient-dense, containing good fibre from the blackberries and oats, they are also low in sugar. They contain 5 grams of protein from the eggs and oats (you can add hemp hearts to increase the protein). These healthy muffins are a great way to include another grain - oats (instead of classic gluten), as well as seasonal fruit into your everyday diet.
Yes! You can use frozen blackberries in muffins. Do not defrost them first as they will make your muffins with purple streaks, as well as make them more liquidy. Add frozen blackberries to the muffins frozen right from the freezer.
Healthy baked snacks
For other gluten-free muffins, try these chocolate chip protein muffins.
- High-Protein Crackers
- Protein Banana Muffins with Oats
- Hemp Granola
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins with Yogurt
❤️ Like this recipe for healthy blackberry muffins? Leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I love hearing from you, and it helps others make the recipe!
Healthy Blackberry Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats/oat flour (180 grams)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ cup applesauce
- 3 eggs
- 4 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup cane sugar or brown sugar, truvia, or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups blackberries fresh (288 g) or frozen
Optional:
- ½ cup hemp hearts to increase protein, and nutrient density
Instructions
- Prepare your muffin pan by greasing each cup or placing muffin liners inside. Preheat the oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit (190 C). This is important to start with, as you don't want the batter to sit too long.
- Make your own oat flour: Place 2 cups of rolled oats into a blender or food processor. Blend for 2-4 minutes until it becomes a sandy-like powder.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients, the oat flour, baking powder, and sea salt. For more protein, add ⅓ cup hemp hearts.
- In another large bowl mix together the applesauce, eggs, oil, sweetener of choice, and vanilla until well combined.
- Pour the dry flour mix into the wet egg mixture, and add half the blackberries. Stir together just until mixed. Put batter into the muffin pan: a little less than ⅓ cup each to make 12 muffins. Distribute the leftover blackberries on top of the muffin batter.
- Right away, place the muffins into the oven 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 C) for 18-20 minutes until cooked (they will spring back to the touch). Let them cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan.
Kate says
I have just made these tonight to use up some eggs and they are delicious. I used brown sugar and EVOO because that was what I had it and they were great. Thank yoi
Danika Vanderpyl says
Kate - so great to here these did well with your adjustments! Enjoy the muffins. 🙂
Becky says
Love these! Made these with a gluten free flour blend as it was what I had on hand, still turned out great!
Danika Vanderpyl says
Yay glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Lovely Goosen says
I enjoyed this! So delicious and healthy! My 2yr old son loved it as he blackberries are his favourite.
danikavanderpyl says
Love hearing this Lovely! The littles always love the berries don't they?! Awesome to hear.
Naomi says
I made these with blueberries instead of blackberries but they were still delicious. Very moist. I was able to keep them in the fridge for almost 2 weeks with no issues.
I'll be making these again.
danikavanderpyl says
Naomi! Glad you enjoyed these, great to hear they lasted two weeks!